It would take 15 years and cost a staggering £1.2 billion to fill all the potholes currently waiting to be fixed on roads across the region.

Road contractors say a whopping 277,425 potholes have been filled over the past year - an average of one every one minute and 54 seconds.

The figures come from the latest Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) survey, produced by the Asphalt Industry Alliance.

It claims that, although the recommended frequency of road resurfacing is between every 10 and 20 years, some roads in the South West have had so little attention, the average time before a road will be resurfaced is now 64 years.

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The survey also asked highways departments to estimate how much it would cost to bring their road networks up to scratch, if they had the resources, as a one-off project).

Based on responses to the survey from local authorities, it was estimated that councils in the South West would need £1.22 billion - an average of £81.6 million each - to clear the backlog.

The figure is the highest average in England and Wales.

If adequate funding and resources were in place to get roads back into a reasonable condition, highway departments reported that the estimated amount of time required to carry out such work would be around 15 years, the longest average estimate of any region in England and Wales.

The average budget shortfall - the difference between what highways departments think they need to keep roads in reasonable order and the actual amount they receive - was £854,900 per council.

In the past year, councils across the South West say they have paid out £478,740 in compensation to road users due to poor road conditions.

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The average number of claims received by local authorities in England and Wales for damage to persons or vehicles due to poor road condition is 204, of which around 70 per cent relate specifically to potholes.

Potholes: Every driver - and cyclist - will have their own least favourite one.

Across England and Wales, councils filled 1.75m potholes over the past 12 months, according to the latest results of the ALARM survey. This was down 20 per cent from the 2.19m filled in 2015/16.

The AIA said the cumulative effect of an ageing network, decades of underfunding, increased traffic and wetter winters has led to around one in six local roads reported as being in poor structural condition, with less than five years of life remaining before they will need to be repaired or even closed.

The ALARM survey, now in its 22nd year, reports local authorities need more than £12 billion to bring the network up to scratch – a figure that has remained largely unchanged for four years – and the gap between the amount they received this year and the amount they say they need to keep the carriageway in reasonable order is almost £730 million.

Alan Mackenzie, chairman of the AIA, said: “Local authority highway teams do not have enough resources to arrest the terminal decline in the condition of our local roads and the network is not resilient enough to meet the challenges ahead.

“Despite this, the efficiencies they have achieved in recent years through adopting an asset management approach should be applauded.

“Working smarter, greater collaboration and improved communication are all contributing to their ability to do more with less – though of course there will come a point when there are no further efficiency savings to be found.”

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A large number of local authorities have also been hit with unforeseen costs, primarily as a result of structural failures caused by adverse weather and increased traffic, which have put additional pressure on resources.

“Almost all journeys begin and end on a local road and we all rely on them every day,” said Mr Mackenzie.

“They represent an asset worth in excess of £400 billion but, at present, less than one per cent of their value is being spent annually on maintenance.

“Potholes are a symptom of poorly-maintained roads and can have a serious effect on road users but spending money fixing them in isolation, although essential, is wasteful. The most efficient way to deal with our crumbling roads is to fix them properly and stop potholes forming in the first place.

“It is time we had a rethink about the future funding of our roads otherwise we will end up with a network that is just not fit for purpose.”

The ALARM survey was completed by 63 per cent of authorities responsible for roads in England and Wales and was carried out during January and February this year.